Arson in Galilee Mosque

Fire was set in the mosque at Tuba, a Bedouin-Arab village, and graffiti scrawled in Hebrew.

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Gil Ronen, 03/10/11 08:31

A mosque

Ovad Arad, Regavim

A fire was set Sunday night inside a mosque at the Bedouin-Arab village of Tuba in the Galileee, not far from Rosh Pina. Light damage was caused to carpets and walls.

An initial inquiry at the site found some graffiti in Hebrew scrawled on the walls of the mosque. It said "revenge" and "price tag," among other things.

Last year, graffiti was scrawled on a mosque at Ibtin in the Galilee. However, this is the first time in recent memory that arson appears to have been attempted in a mosque within pre-1967 Israel's borders. There have been a few "price tag" attacks against mosques in Samaria. These attacks are believed to have been perpetrated by Jewish ultranationalists.

Large police forces arrived on the scene and they are concerned about the possibility that rioting will take place.

MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima), in an initial reaction, said the arson "resembled an act of terror."

Tuba is considered a relatively loyal village and its residents have served in the IDF since 1948. The strong clan in the village is called Al-Heib.